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Rookie question

So before I get myself in a mess I thought I'd ask some questions, please bear with me, I'm sure these are silly questions to the veterans but the answers would help me out quite a bit.

1) Why is it most of the plow truck's are F-150's or Chev Sierra's? I was thinking about buying a 1979 Ford Fullsize Bronco. I'd rather have a sport ute type of truck for the summer months to go off roading and in my experience I prefer a sport ute over a pick up. What would be the draw back's to buying the Bronco over a F-150? Is there an advantage to the longer wheel base in a pick up truck?

2) What kind of expenses am I looking at during the plow season?

3) What should I look for in a truck to ensure the least amout of head ache , down the road.

79' bronco will make an excellent plow truck,high pinion dana 44 front axle, 9inch rear axle probably a 351m or 400 and c-6 tranny.
had one at one time although no plow on it...i don't think visibility will be an issue as ther is a ton of glass area.
dan

I run a 78 bronco/3" lift 35" tires, good truck, pushes real well, parts are a dime a dozn, $14.99 for a starter $22.99 for a alternator exc... and yes I play with mine offroad, what fun is a 4x4 when the most offroading it sees is hopping a curb at the mall?

Mick. I don't want to to start an argument,,but i would be happy to show you my fuel verse insurance costs for the just the snowplowing season. Even from last year when i only had 1 truck and 50 plow accounts. Our average gas price around here is $1.55 a gallon for regular unleaded,prem is about 1.62 and super $1.71.

Gas is going through the roof, in my local area some peoples car insurance has raised 100% over the last year, insurance companies say the they need to recover losses because there have been alot of claims due to soft tissue claims....(BS if you ask me)

I really just want to have enough customers so it will pay for the truck, repairs , gas and insurance. I don't want to quit my current job as it pays pretty good, Mon to Fri , 9 to 5 job.

by the 10th driveway I do ($30 each )I have paid for all my expences for that event, gas, shoveler/spotter pay and 1/3 of ins for the year, after 3 events anything else is profit..... :: disclaimer :: take it with a grain of salt because my costs are pretty low low and yours may be higher

Earthscapes, no argument just good-natured disagreement. Actually, you made my point. You have 50 accounts. Yes, your fuel bill is most likely higher. But just starting out, Cobra 427 SO is not likely to have that many. Heck, I don't have that many after three seasons through a combination of locality and my choice. So, my insurance is more than my fuel bill. (Come to think of it, fuel bill may be catching up).

From what I can read the tranny and the engine tend to be the most common thing's to break.

What kind of modification's do I have to do to my truck. Someone told me a long time ago the the extra weight from the plow on the front end causes alot of stress on the front shocks. Do I have to have some aftermarket heavy duty shocks installed?

Cobra, I would read as many of the posts on this subject as you can, one good thing you should get from all of them is that anything is possible. You can set two of the same trucks up with the same equipment and one could go 7 years without even having to put fluid in, and the other could be on 2nd trans, 3rd engine, 4th rebuild on the plow pump, and half a dozen suspension upgrades. It is better to be ready for it all, a little in the old bank as a reserve is a good idea. Also, just to put in my 2 about the truck, I have a K-1500, but started with a 2500, and from my experience, I could have saved in the long run by just getting another 2500 instead of the truck I have now. My next truck will be a 2500 for sure. Why? Well, not that I do not love my 1500, but suspension, handling, repairs, weight that can be added, I could go on... the better you get now, the more it will help you later....

Good luck, there are many Pro's in here who will be able to answer almost any question you have, get the piece of mind before you get the piece of equipment>

Earthscapes, that's for sure. It cost me $1500 for each truck this year ( half ton and one ton) just to get the maintenance needed to start the season. And that was nothing major. Now just today, I blew an angle cylinder doing a clean up. Caught a tree root, apparently it came to above the trip edge. Thought about trying to just replace the check valve kit, but I've learned from experience to just replace the major component instead of fooling around trying to tear apart an old rusted-on stuff.